Gratefulness - Personal Practice

I've had a few of weeks to feel sorry for myself recently.

I refused to do it!  

Though I had every right to, I wouldn't allow myself the emotion of sadness.

I'm not the type of person who likes to feel sad, so I'll fight that feeling as much as I possibly can.

I busy myself with all sorts of positive activities to keep that emotion from surfacing.  

One positive practice I took up in the past couple of weeks has been to be grateful.

I've seen first hand recently how lucky I am to have my health, as those close to me do not.

I've felt grateful and lucky to have a close group of friends, as I know others who do not invest time in friendships and as such have felt alone.

With all my efforts and all this work to practice a positive attitude and be grateful, it finally happened...

The sadness came to the surface.

The odd thing about the day I allowed myself to be sad was it was right after a full day of fun activities.  I had spent the day being grateful and having a very positive attitude.

Then the next day I woke up with a heavy heart, but couldn't put my finger on as to why.

As the day progressed it became apparent that there was one simple trigger the day before that I had brushed off as nothing, but it was at the heart of my sadness.

So, I allowed myself to cry and cleanse.  I acknowledged my sadness and felt sorry for myself for a few hours.  I also talked to family and friends, and...

You know what?

I Feel Much Better!!!

I believe that practicing gratefulness is essential to a balanced life.  I know it's not always easy, but the practice of gratefulness puts our own lives into perspective.  It allows us to see ourselves clearly and understand our highs and lows.  It helps us to cleanse out the negativity in our lives (even if that cleansing means a good cry) and to move forward with a positive outlook and attitude.

The morning after my "sad day" I got up and listed a few things I was grateful for.  I shared some of my gratitude with others.  

That day turned out to be pretty Great!

We are each allowed some sad days.  It's just after that sad day we need to get up the next day, motivate, and be grateful for who we are!

I'll continue to practice doing just that!

Today I am grateful for...